Irrigation controlling device.

The invention relates to a control device or the like for irrigators., As it should be used in particular in horticulture, agriculture or the like.

The control device has at least one moisture sensing means, wherein so-called Tensiometer are advantageous, but also conceivable sensing devices which operate preferably on a different principle. The sensing device is operated appropriately at least one signaling device to emit a signal at least one of dryness or humidity. This signal can, as a control signal for a delay for a display, the opening of a water flow or time-dependent the water inflow controller controlling the like. be used.

Moisture sensing devices can have the disadvantage that they do not but then only operate reliably in at least partially wet, when they are completely dried out substantially. Which then mediated the sensing means sensing a result, one of the same, which corresponds to a high degree of humidity, which then also the signal emitted corresponds despite complete dehydration of the sensed area. The signal output is then an unidentifiable from the sensing device, the signal device or controller error signal.

The invention further has for its object to provide a control device of the type mentioned, are in which disadvantages of known solutions of the type described or avoided and in particular the delivery of a false signal can be avoided with appropriate drying in a simple manner essentially.

To solve are to protect the sensing device is provided to at least long-term drying, and it is sufficient in most cases, when a possibly occurring dehydration is recognized and reversed within hours means.

Here, in order to dispense with relatively expensive means, such as a separate moistening or sensing means for the sensing of the sensing means is a humidity sensor detects the humidity in the vicinity of the main probe directly or indirectly on or therethrough and at substantially complete dehydration implemented in a separate control process which leads, for example, the opening of the already existing through the irrigation system water supply, thus resulting in a self-acting regulating Austrocknungsschutz.

Instead of placing a separate sensing device for drying protective parallel or in series with the protected sensing device, can be used in a simple manner the same sensing device for both the signal output in normal operation between an upper and a lower humidity level as well as for a desiccation close next humidity level at a distance located below said lower humidity value. A corresponding characteristic, caused by the displacement sensing device is used.

In the case of a tensiometer, having a pressure chamber with a to be applied to the sensed area, for example in the soil, limiting, by which porosity, or the like. gas- and water-permeable, the operating characteristics of the sensing device can be selected so that the signal for supplying water at a reduced pressure of greater than about 60 mb, but not at all deeper and delivered as such to 20 mb reaching suppressing is. Below this lower value however, the signal is then emitted by the drying out prevention means, whereby the inflow of water is opened and finally the negative pressure of the protected sensing means is increased again to a value at which it can operate normally.

Is at such a sensing means, the permeable boundary namely dried to a certain degree, as the vacuum decreases in the pressure chamber, characterized in that air is sucked through the boundary. However, this pressure increase corresponds exactly to that behavior of the pressure chamber, which is given with increasing humidity or wet, because then enters the water through the boundary into the pressure chamber. However, a rise in pressure in the pressure chamber with the result of a faulty signal can also, for example, due to damage or leaking of the pressure chamber or are too dry occur due to climatic conditions. In each case, the error signal would cause the water supply is closed in spite of this drought without again would be possible to dispense with the control device that can be loosely right signal.

In a very simple embodiment of the way of the degree of moisture moving function control member on a partial section of the signal output or signal interruption in normal operation is used, while another, to the first mentioned leg not immediately subsequent leg for the signaling used by the Austrocknungsschutz becomes. An intermediate route between these two sections is provided as a free travel.

Another simplification is that the same contactor is used for the signal output of the protected sensing means on the one hand and the drying out prevention other hand held separate contactors. This results in a very reliable function when this contactor has two movable contacts, one of which is moved through the protected sensing device or on one leg and the other by the drying out protection and on the other leg, while the contactor in the neutral range is in its non-delivery of the signal corresponding rest position. If the contactor a normally open contact, so it is closed in the rest position and for signaling it opens.

The control apparatus according to the invention can be instead of or in addition to the described configuration according to the invention also structurally designed to be very advantageous. For example, at least one of the components, which are formed by the contactor of the sensing device, at least one adjusting member, an electrical connection, an actuating member of the sensing means and the control member may be provided on a mounting assembly, which is preferably constructed as a sealing cover for the pressure chamber and with this is to be connected easily solved by a cap screw for example.

At least one to all of said components is advantageously arranged in a housing which is closed on full width substantially with an openable or removable housing cover, so that easily accessible after opening the cover of each of the components which is arranged in the housing, for maintenance and / or repair work is exposed.

Also at least one to all of the above components of the drying out prevention may belong to this assembly module or be located in a corresponding manner in the flat housing having one side of the case is appropriate in part, by the control member and the membrane. A return spring for this control member can be outside the housing chamber and in the pressure chamber, but is advantageously also part of the mounting assembly.

These and other features will become apparent from the claims and their back-references also from the description and drawings, and the individual features to be realized in each case alone or together in the form of sub-combinations in an embodiment of the invention and in other fields and can represent advantageous, can represent in themselves protectable constructions for which protection is claimed. An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and will be explained in more detail below. In the drawings:<dl id="dl0001"><dt>Fig. 1</dt><dd>a control device of the invention in a partially sectional view and</dd><dt>FIG. 2</dt><dd>A detail of FIG. 1 in an enlarged and sectional representation.</dd></dl>

The regulation apparatus 1 forms a structural unit with an encapsulated arranged sensing means 2 and an underlying sensor 3, which, or the like to a support, namely a housing 4 made of glass. are arranged or formed by this. The upper, advanced and open to full width end of the housing 4 is sealed with a lid 5 that an upwardly extended pressure chamber 6 and at the bottom of a tip 7 is formed in the housing 4, with which the control device 1 according to type of ground anchor can be pressed into the ground. A lower, several centimeters long, acute-angled conical and at the knoll spherically rounded end portion of the tip 7, which can have a diameter of about 2 cm or less, forms at the bottom of the only limit 8 of the housing chamber, which rests directly on the ground during operation so that from each wetter area can be carried out a water change to drier area by limiting 8 through relatively slow. Limiting 8 is formed by a jacket-like hollow clay bodies 9, overlapped its open upper end on the inner and / or outer circumference of a flange 10 of the housing 4 ringnutartig and is secured against this sealed by gluing.

Immediately above the clay body 9 there is a contrast shorter memory 11 which is permanently conductively connected through a channel in the interior of the flange 10 with the slightly narrower interior of the clay body. 9 The jacket of the memory 11 is only slightly wider than the clay body part 8, so that the memory 11 over substantially its entire height in the ground can be lowered and the tip 7th In the housing 4 is relatively greatly expanded, so that it can not be pressed into the ground due to the displacement resistance under normal application of force, but is practically limited by a stop. In particularly strong moisture of the soil, therefore, the housing 4 are filled only up to about the upper end of the reservoir 11 with water.

The upper end of the memory 11 proceeds in an extended, substantially axially parallel with respect to the memory 11 and the tip 7 laterally offset housing space, thus defining a pressure chamber 6 above the water level and depending on the degree of filling together with the memory 11 or the clay body 9 , The cover 5 is fixed via a cover thread 12 on the inside of the upper casing end of the housing 4 by screwing around the associated housing axis and sealed with a sealing ring.

The cover 5 forms the manner of a head device an easily detachable lid on the thread 12 of mounting assembly 13, the approximately same size as the upper end of the housing 4 has in plan view, is compared with this, however, much shorter. As base body has this mounting assembly 13, a housing 14 whose shell-shaped main part is on the outer side of the shell bottom detachably connected to a cap-shaped flange 16 which engages with an external thread on the cap skirt in the cover thread 12 and substantially completely located within the housing. 4 Between an annular shoulder on the outer circumference of the cap casing and an annular web at the bottom of the housing shell, the annular seal is axially clamped such that it lies adjacent to the cover thread 12 on the inner circumference of the housing. 4 At the bottom of the shell remote, upper face, the housing 14 is closed with a flat cover 17th

Between the annular disc-shaped cup bottom of the housing 14 and the annular disk-shaped cap jacket of the housing flange 16 of the outer, annular disk-shaped edge of an approximately disk-shaped control member 18 is sealingly clamped within the annular seal, which is advantageously formed by a flexible membrane. This forms in the cross-section subsequent to the clamped outer periphery of a for instance U-shaped ring or Balgprofil, which extends into the cap interior of the housing flange 16 from the tray bottom away and passes through the opening of the cap base. The lying within the Balgprofiles area of ​​the control member 18 is spring-loaded with a substantially lying below it within the housing flange 16 return spring 19 axially into the housing space 15 into it.

The return spring is supported with its lower end in a cup-shaped, carried by spoke-like webs abutment of the housing flange 16 and with its upper end within a sleeve of a pressure piece 20th The pressure element 20 is from the inner circumference of the Balgprofiles in the central area of ​​the control member 18 at its remote from the housing space 15 side substantially over the entire surface and an annular disk on. In the center, the pressure piece 20 a to the housing space 15 protruding, rectangular in cross-section or square projection which engages in a closely matched recess of a central, in the wall thickness substantially thickened membrane head 21st

This diaphragm head 21 is correspondingly rectangular and has on the outer circumference in the region of the casing of the projection of the pressure piece 20 an annular groove, into which a carrier 22 engages with an annular rib and thereby axially fixed and secured against rotation via a snap connection. the adjoining the inner periphery of the Balgprofiles profile section of the control member is thus 18 clamped and the pressure piece supported 20 on this profile section directly on the carrier 22 between a ring-shaped bottom of the carrier 22 and the outer circumferential portion of the pressure piece 20th Against radial deflections of lying within the Balgprofiles area of ​​the control element 18 of the carrier 22 may be supported by sliding cams which are suitably protrude 22 from the inner periphery of the opening of the housing shell bottom against the outer periphery of the support and substantially uniformly distributed over the circumference. In the relaxed or befindlichem in the central position control member 18 of the bottom of the carrier 22 is located approximately in the plane of the shell bottom.

The under varying pressure in the pressure chamber 6 via the control member 18 axially movable stage 22 supports the corresponding movable components of a signal device 23. This has on one side adjacent to the housing axis, a contactor 24, for example a contact switch with a fixed and a movable arranged on the carrier 22 contact 25 and 26, respectively. The contact 26 located on the side facing away from the control member 18 side of the contact 25 and immediately adjacent and approximately parallel to the inside of the lid 17 is formed by a substantially plate-shaped, approximately at right angles to the housing axis sheet metal part, whose longer side edges of two mutually opposing bearing leg 28 are angled. These bearing legs 28 are mounted on the side facing away from the contact zone 31 of the contactor 24 side of the housing axis in contact bearings 27 about an axis that is offset at approximately right angles to the housing axis, transverse to the longitudinal direction of the contact plate and opposite this to the control member 18 side.

The support 22 has corresponding, on either side of its central breakthrough lying, projecting into the housing space 15 bearing leg two with bearing openings in which projecting trunnion bearing leg snapped 28 by resiliently disassembling or squeezing. At the shorter, on the same side of the axis of the housing as the contact bearing 27 lying leg of the contact 26, a contact spring 29 is supported, which is placed on a freely projecting centering of the carrier 22 and the contact zone of load 31 associated area of ​​contact 26 against the contact 25th This is formed by a strip-shaped sheet metal member, the tongue-like manner over an end edge projecting end portion forms a contact surface and plugged at its other end in a contact holder 30 of the carrier 22 detached and is optionally secured by clamping or self-engaging latch.

For the contactor 24 an adjusting device 32 is provided, with which the switching point of the signal device 23 can be adjusted. The adjusting device 32 comprises an accessible from the outside of the regulating device 1, however, completely recessed relative to the outer surfaces essentially lying adjusting member 33 which is rotatably mounted about a housing axis approximately perpendicular, to the longitudinal direction of the contact 26 is approximately parallel to the axis in a sleeve of the housing jacket , The bearing sleeve into which the adjusting member 33 is inserted from the outside of the housing and is locked by a snap connection, projects inwardly beyond the housing jacket and is provided on the housing shell. In the head of the adjustment member 33, which is accessible from the outside, for example, may be provided for actuating a coin slot. About the inner end of the adjusting member 33 is facing a Justiernocken 34 which, for example, has a relation to the axis of rotation eccentric or spiral cam curve on the circumference and is located in the movement area of ​​an elongated through the contact zone 31 of the contact portion beyond 26th

The housing 14 has an about its outer periphery protruding electrical connection 35 with a lying within a hollow nozzle plug 36 which determines clamped between the housing shell and the housing cover 17 and for connection to a to be pushed into the socket 37, and therefore secure against overload device plug 38 is. Within the housing space 15, the connector on two freely projecting connecting lugs 39, which are connected via non-illustrated lines in the region of the contact holder 30 to the contact 25 and in the area immediately adjacent the shorter leg with the contact 26th

The control apparatus according to the invention operates according to the following procedure: When sufficiently moist soil held the clay body 9 and / or the memory 11 is at least partially filled with water. If free moisture of the soil, so water is sucked out of these spaces through the clay body 8 from the ground. This results in the pressure chamber 6 a negative pressure, through which the control member 18 including the support 22 against the force of the return spring 19 is moved in the direction of the pressure chamber. 6 Depending on the setting of the adjusting device 32 is running at a reduced pressure of about 60 to 140 mb on the contact 26 on the Justiernocken 34 so that it remains fixed to the housing, while the contact 25 moves further and therefore the contactor 24 is opened. This opening serves as a control line to an irrigation computer given signal, the optionally opens the water supply for a set time duration. Thus, the soil moisture rises again, water permeates through the clay body 9 rises back into the interior of the regulating device and the pressure in the pressure chamber 6 again, for example to a value of about 20 mb, in which the contactor 24 is closed again and the water supply is turned off.

Presented as here the water supply due to extreme heat or strong evaporation not such a strong moistening the soil from that water may back seep into the clay body 9 so the water level gradually decreases under the exposed portion of Tonkörperwandung that dries thereby. In the dry state, however, the Tonkörperwandung is not gas tight, so that air is sucked in as a result of relatively high negative pressure in the pressure chamber 6 from the ground, and thereby the pressure in the pressure chamber 6 to the described signaling effect, namely, the interruption of the water supply increases. In order ought to set the proper functioning of the control device 1 back on track either the soil watered by hand or open the control device 1 and the memory 11 are filled with water.

To avoid these disadvantages, a drying out protection 40 is provided according to the invention further. This also has an actuated via the control member 18 and the pressure chamber 6 signal device 41, which is formed by the signaling device 23 so that only a single contactor 24 is required. The signal "water supply" is not given in the course of the described movement path of the control element 18, but in the course of those movement which the control member 18 typically then performs, if that "Shutting off the water supply" signal or "Not hiring the water supply" triggers.

For this purpose, the signaling device 41 a movable with the control member 18 actuating member 42 which is pivotally mounted on the support 22 about an axis which may be parallel as described with reference to the contact bearing 27, aligned or to this. The corresponding bearing 44 is suitably between the contact bearing 27 and the contact 25 on the side of the housing axis. The actuator 42 forms in the manner of a two-arm lever, a rocker 43, the through without interference with respect to the lever ratios longer directed against the housing axis and this approximately at right angles intersecting control arm 45 and a diagonally opposite the contact side of the contact 26 directed, shorter operating arm 46. separate spring freely pivoted or lying on the same side of the contact 26 as the contact 25 actuator 42 is suitably snapped with journals in openings of bearing legs which protrude opposite to each other about the same distance as the bearing leg for the contact 26 from the bottom of the carrier 22 and are adjacent to these. Between the journals of the operating arm 46 forms two lying on both sides of the contact 25 individual arms with rounded end surfaces. The control arm 45 is fixed to the housing in the operation stop 47 assigned to the 17 projects from the inside of the lid and an opening in the plate of the contact 26 passes through.

If the pressure in the pressure chamber 6 to a specified by the stop 47 value, for example more than minus 20 mb, so the control arm passes 45 against the stop 47 so that in the course of the further movement of the control element 18 and the carrier 22, the rocker 43 is pivoted such that the actuator arm 46 lifts the contact 26 against the force of the contact spring 29 from contact 25th This results in the said signal. This switching point of the drying out prevention means 40 is suitably between a value of about 0 to minus 20 mb essentially infinitely variable.

For this purpose, an adjusting device 48 is provided. This may be formed in a simple manner in that the stop 47 is adjustable with an adjusting member 49, namely formed by the inner face of an adjusting screw, which is guided around the housing axis in the housing cover 17 with thread. The adjusting member 49 is completely submerged, but at any time to actuate from the outside of the housing 14 and the cover 17 accessible and forth, for example with a screwdriver.